EU's Von der Leyen Calls for Reduction in Energy Demand
Von der Leyen revealed that Europe's fossil fuel import bill had ballooned by more than €22 billion ($26 billion) in just 44 days — a figure she used to anchor her case for sweeping demand-side action.
"The least expensive energy is the energy that is not used," she said while stressing the need to find a way to reduce the energy demand.
"We should reduce demand while fully respecting the free choice of consumers, so we are looking at energy efficiency levels such as renovation of buildings or the renewal of equipment in industrial operations," von der Leyen added.
The Commission chief outlined several measures under consideration, including bloc-wide coordination of member states' gas storage filling to curb internal market competition, as well as joint releases of oil stocks to maximize collective impact — all while ensuring emergency interventions stop short of distorting the single market.
Drawing a direct line between Middle East instability and European household bills, von der Leyen warned: "What we are seeing in the Middle East is not some distant crisis, but in a world in which everything is connected, the effects are direct and they are immediate."
She pulled no punches on the structural vulnerability underlying the crisis, cautioning that the bloc is paying dearly for its "overdependency on fossil fuels."
"The grim reality for our continent is fossil fuel energy will remain the most expensive options in the years to come," she added.
Despite the bleak near-term outlook, von der Leyen struck a forward-looking note, pointing to the bloc's decarbonization drive as a confirmed long-term strategy.
"Our objective is very clear. We need to scale up the homegrown, affordable, reliable energy," von der Leyen said — signaling that Brussels views the current crisis not merely as a shock to weather, but as fresh urgency to accelerate Europe's clean energy transition.
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